Boning structure for garments



Oct. 6, 1936. M. sARAcHEK BONING STRUCTURE FOR GARMENTS Filed NOV. l, 1934 INVENTOR 110e Sarache/c BY Z i* ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Moe Saraehek, Allentown, Pa., assignor to Charis Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 1, 1934, Serial No. 751,068

2 Claims.

This application is filed as a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 663,619.

This invention relates to means of fastening boning in foundation garments such as corsets, to prevent the boning from becoming disarranged from its original position.

Usually, the bones are so placed by the designer in garments of the kind to which the invention relates, that they extend sufliciently below the waist line to cover the fleshy parts of the figure, at the same time terminating at definite points so that they will not be tooI long to interfere with the movements of the figure when walking, or to become uncomfortable when the figure is in a sitting position. It is, therefore, of importance to the comfort of the wearer that the boning be retained in the original position intended by the designer.

Should the bones slide downwardly in the pockets which are usually provided to receive them, in addition to the discomfort referred to above, the ends of the bones will not only show through the outer wearing apparel, but will in time cut through the cloth and protrude. Also, the upper ends of the bones will be so far below the upper edges of the garment as to cause the cloth to wrinkle and fold over, and the garment to lose its style and fitting.

A further consideration in locating boning in a garment resides in the allowance that must be made for the shrinkage of the cloth with respect to the boning. Heretofore the general method of taking care of this shrinkage has been to place the tacking across the bone pockets at a suiiicient distance, usually in the neighborhood of an inch from each end of the bones, to allow the cloth to shrink without shortening the length of the bone pockets to such an extent as to cause the bones to engage the ends thereof. This placing of the tacking at a distance from the ends of the bones, however, has been of disadvantage, in that the bones could become displaced within the bone pockets, sometimes dropping down so as to interfere with the movements of the wearer 45 when walking, or to become uncomfortable in a sitting position. If in an attempt to thus prevent movement of the boning within the bone pockets, the tacking is placed so close to the ends of the boning as to prevent such movement, when the cloth shrinks it cannot move with reference to the boning, hence the latter becomes buckled or bent, and the garment loses its shape or the bones in time out through the cloth.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide ya construction which will overcome the difculties referred to above, and which will result in the boning being maintained in proper position, Aand at the same time allow for the shrinking of the garment with reference tothe boning, without the disadvantages referred to.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fastening means for boning whereby, while the boning is maintained in proper position, at the same time the cloth is free to shrink with reference to the boning Without inducing any binding or buckling action upon the latter.

A' further object is to provide a fastening means for boning which will prevent the boning from dropping out of the bone pocket, even though the cloth of the latter should, through wear or otherwise, be cut through so as to expose the lower end of the boning.

A further object is to provide a construction in which means for suspending the boning in the pocket is provided which is Vadaptable to varions positioning of the boning in the pocket, and to various methods of finishing the edge of the garment.

My invention .comprises in general, the provision of a vtape connected in suitable manner with the bone at or near the upper end of the latter and forming a continuation thereof, and when embodied in a corset or the like arranged to project upwardly in the bone pocket for attachment to the garment. For Aconvenience of attachment, it is preferable, though not necessary, that the tape project out of the upper end of the bone pocket a suicient distance so that when the binding at the upper edge of the garment is stitched in place, the stitches will run across and catch the tape, thus securing the latter to the binding and the cloth of the garment and suspending the bone within the bone pocket by the tape.

In the preferred form of attachment, my invention also contemplates the stitching of the upper portion of the bone pocket at the upper end of the bone, so as to prevent thelatter from working upwardly.

By my construction the bone is suspended in the pocket by means of the tape which is stitched in place, the cross tacking at the bottom of the bone pocket is eliminated, and hence, While the bone can move neither upwardlyV nor downwardly, at the same time the cloth may shrink with reference to the bone Without causing any binding action on the latter, and Without causing any disarrangement of the'lines or iit of the garment by reason of the buckling of the bone and without causing discomfiture to the wearer by reason of the displacement of the bone with reference to the position originally designed for it to occupy in the garment. n

I amV aware that hitherto efforts have been made to suspend boning in corsets and the like from a tape attached in some Way to the boning,

but methods of construction hitherto attempted TheV apparently most feasible way suggested in the prior art for-attaching a tape to they boning V'for suspending the bone in the pocket is to puncture the steel at a suitable distance from the end and to thread through the hole thus made a tape, looping the tape upward and stitching both ends to the corset. After thoroughly testing this method of suspension, I have found that it is `wholly'unsuited to modern boning:

(llThe steel must be punctured'after the celluloid Ywater-proof coating Vhas been applied. This results even under most careful operation in chipping-the Celluloid about the hole and thus exposing the steel where the Celluloid is chipped off as well as along the cross section of the steel where the YVhole is made. This necessitates re- VWater-proofing `the steel at the hole, and after rewater-'proong clearing the holeof accumulated water-proofing, an operation vwhich is costly and which even with the greatest Care is not uniformly successful in assuring a complete Water-proofing at the hole; y Y

(2)V Puncturing'the steel near itstip for the insertion of the tape weakens the steel at this pointto the extent thatA the tip from thehcle upward is liableto be" broken off or bent in use.

(3) "Only a small width of tape can be employed, not much Wider than vthe diameter of the hole, for otherwise the tape ywrinkles and folds atVV the hole and makes an objectionable bulge atthis point. The use of a narrow tape results in a suspending means Aweak in' itself and affording toofsmallan Varearfor stitching into the corset. Commercial manufacture of the YcorsetV practically necessitates that this stitching shall be crosswise of the tape, and with a narrow tape only a few stitches pass through the tape for suspending the boning.

V(4) .The edges of the hole are quite likely to -be sharp and cut through the tape.

Another common suggestion of the prior art is to employanV adhesive for attaching the tape to Vthe boning.V VWith modern boning the choice of extensive experimentation and testing in dealing Y with the various problems presented with a view Y of producing a structure by and in which the objects heretofore set forth may be attained. This experimenting and Vtesting has resulted in the reamng out or otherwiseV completely successful structure herein set forth shown in Fig. 1 with the water-proofing of the bone broken away to illustrate its construction;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the construction shown in Figs. l and 2 embodying al modification thereof;

Fig.V 4 is an elevational View of the construction shown in Figs. l and 2 embodied in a portion of a garment, parts being folded back for clearness of illustration, the inside of the garment being shown.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 5 showing other constructions for attaching the boning Y to the garment.

Referring to Figs. `l and 2, the bone I0 itself comprises a strip of spring steel 2| of desired dimensions suitably water-proofed in a manner toy prevent rusting of the steel. The Waterproofing illustrated is perhaps the preferred type in present-day use and comprises'a sheet Vof Celluloid 22 foldedY about the steel Alengthwise overlapping at its edges'and suitably attached to the steel. The ends of the bone are thereafter dipped in Celluloid of a liquid consistency which hardens toV form the caps 23, one ateach end thereof. Y Y

To such a bone I attach a suspending piece of fabric of suitable weave, texture and size, such as a tape I2. same width as the bone I0.

The attaching means, heretofore referred to as those which I have discovered to be completely satisfactory in the modern art of corset construction, consists of a band or staple I9 whichY is bent around the bone and the tape and clamped in position to secure the tapeV between lthe Clamp and the bone as illustrated. This band should be of a size and form to project as little as possible from'the bone when mounted vthereon and to present to the fabric of the pocket a Vsmooth contour, avoiding sharp edges. The band I9 further should be either water-proofed or made'of a material which does not rust or corrode. What is commonly called stainless steel is a suitable material and when Vthis is employed its outer edges should be rounded.'

The band I9 may conveniently be clamped around the boning I0 and tape I2 immediately beneath the top cap 23 with the unbroken length of the band on the tape` side of the bone, which in turn is preferably on the side of ythe bone on which the water-proofing material is fiat and continuous. This affords a uniform frictional clamping of the tape to the bone throughout the width of each by the band I9, and I have found that in no instance hasY the tape been pulled away from the bone' or loosened from its original position thereon in use.

This tape is substantially of Vthe 'The tape I2 attached as aforesaid to the bone Y has a long end above the Yband I9 of desiredV length, projecting upwardly from the bene on attachment to the Corset, and a short end below the band IS of convenient length for manufacturing and of such length as to offer sufcient strength of the tape belowthe band to avoid unraveling or otherwise weakening the'frictional joining of the tape to the bone at the band. As will be pointed out below, when the boning is placed in the bone pocket Yfor mounting, this lower end of the tape will ordinarily be folded upwardly around the band. This is incidental to convenient assembly in the art of modern corsetry, and is without function. It will -be apparent, however, if desired that the lower end of the tape may be made co-eXtensive in length with the upper end and the two ends joined when the boning is mounted in the garment.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 3, the edges of the bone are notched as at 24 to receive the band or staple, so that ythe latter will not protrude to form an obstruction to the easy insertion of the bone into the pocket. Furthermore, the band or staple is shown as having its ends joined on the tape side of the bone. These modifications result in a slightly smoother appearance of the outside of the garment in which the boning is mounted than in the case where the preferred structure of Figs. 1 and 2 is employed.

Three variations in the mounting of the bone in the bone pocket are herein illustrated, the structure of Figs. 1 and 2 being shown. Referring rst to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing, a portion of a garment is illustrated at 5, 6 being the upper edge of the garment. The garment is illustrated as being provided with a bone pocket I which is stitched in place on the inside thereof in the usual manner, the usual lining of the pocket being indicated at 8, and the outer layer of material of the pocket being indicated at 9.

In manufacture, the bone pockets are usually made separate from the garment and stitched in place on the inside of the latter during the course of manufacture, and may be designed to receive one or more bones, the pocket illustrated in the drawing being a double pocket.

Usually the pockets are stitched or tacked across at a distance from the upper and lower ends of the boning, as hereinbefore referred to, suchv as to make a generous allowance for shrinkage.

The bone IU with its suspending tape attached as above described is inserted into its pocket at the top of the pocket and forced down into the pocket to its intended position therein, the suspending tape being preferably on the side of the pocket which adjoins the fabric of the garment to act as a reinforcement in preventing the bone in use from wearing through the pocket and the fabric of the garment. Ordinarily the long end of the tape heretofore referred to will then terminate flush with the upper end of the pocket and upper edge of the garment, or project thereabove and be trimmed off flush therewith. The upper edge of the garment (and pocket) is ordinarily bound with a binding material I3. When the binding is stitched in place, the stitches as at Id not only secure the binding to the cloth of the garment and to the cloth forming the upper portion of the bone pocket, but also securely fasten the tape in position, so that the bone is suspended in the pocket by the tape.

I preferably also cross-tack the pockets quite close to the upper end of the boning as at I5, to prevent any upward movement of the bones With reference to the cloth of the garment. I,

however, do not cross-tack the pocket below the lower end of the boning. Accordingly no shortening of the bone pocket with reference to the boning, due to shrinkage, will cause engagement of the boning with the ends of the pocket, hence there will be no binding or buckling action upon the boning which would otherwise cause it to bend or depart from its flat position against the gure when in use. Furthermore, the tendency of the boning to cut through the cloth or the pocket of the garment due to shrinkage of the latter which occursin the ordinary methods of securing the boning in position referred to above, is entirely eliminated. It will be noted that, should for any reason, either by long continued wear, accident or otherwise, the bone pocket, or the cloth of the'garment, at the lower end of the bone be cut through, thisv would not cause the bone to fall out of or become dislodged from the pocket, as was the case with the old method of stitching across the bottom of the pocket, but the bone will remain suspended in its original position in the pocket. It will also be noted that though the bone is normally permanently suspended within the pocket, it can be readily removed in making adjustments or alterations in the garment, by removing the stitches which secure the material of the cloth over the upper end of the bone pocket, and the cross tacking, where such is used, and thus allow the bone to be removed by drawing the tape and with it the bone, upwardly out of the pocket. This is of advantage as it is sometimes necessary to insert shorter or longer boning than was originally designed for the garment, to accord with the lfigure of the individual wearer. The original bone having been thus withdrawn, the substituted one may readily be placed back in the pocket and the parts again replaced and stitched.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated another construction, often used on girdles where a different method of binding the top edge of the girdle is employed. In this case, the upper edge of the garment or girdle 5a is folded over as at 20 before the binding tape I3a is applied, and the upper free end of the suspending tape I2 Vis folded with it. The binding tape |32 preferably in doubled or folded condition, is then applied to the garment and the' folded over edges, as illustrated in Fig. 6, being stitched adjacent its upper and lower edges through the folded over edges of the garment, the folded over end of the tape and through the bone pocket and the cloth of the garment as illustrated. In this construction the folding over of the suspending tape and the edge portion of the garment, the placing of the binding tape upon the folded over edges of the garment as illustrated, and the arrangement of the stitching used to secure the binding in place, pro-vide a very secure fastening for the boning, which makes it unnecessary to use the tacking I5 across the upper portion of the bone pocket, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Also, it is sometimes desirable to have the upper end of the bone disposed Well below the upper edge of the garment. In such cases, the upper end of the suspending tape I2, as illustrated in Fig. 7, may not even reach as far as the binding I3 at the upper edge of the garment. The tape may still be secured to the bone pocket in position to suspend the bone therein, by means of the cross tacking I5 alone. While this construction is not as strong as the others described, it is of decided advantage in manufacture, because it obviates the necessity of cuttingV extra long tapes for constructions in which the upper edge of the bone is to be placedy an unusual distance below the upper edge of the garment, and furthermore, the cross tacking I5 will, unless the garment is exposed to unusually hard usage, be sufficiently strong to adequately maintain the tape and bone in position during the life of the garment.

In all forms of the invention that have been illustrated,` it will be observed that the bone is provided with a flexible, narrow strip of tape which forms an extension of the bone to project upwardly in the bone pocket preferably terminating coextensive with the upper end of the bone pocket or extending therebeyond;V and when embodied in the garment is stitched into place therein, preferably when the edge binding is stitched into position, so that the bone in each instance is thus suspended by a flexible tape permanently attached to the garment preferably at its upper edge and/or to the bone pocket above the upper end ofl the bone.

While I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to provide a bone pocket with a flap adapted to fold down to close the upper end of the pocket or to be raised in order to allow Ythe removal of the bone; to secure a bone pocket in position in the garment by means of lacings extending through eyelets in the garment; to stitch the bone pocket to the garment all around the perimeter of the former; also to provide the bone pocket with a slit at its upper end and to provide a loop whereby the bone maybe withdrawn from the pocket, none of these propositions, or any others known to me, recognize the problem of insuring the retention of the original positioning of the boning in the'garment in accordance with the plans of the garment without endangering the proper set and positioning of the boning, as has been accomplished by my invention, or accomplishing the other adat all or which are covered with cloth or paper or other material not necessarily waterproof.

The foregoing description has been given for purposes of illustration of the invention, and some of the forms that it may take, but no undue limitations should be deduced therefrom, as the claims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireyto secure by U. S, Letters Patent is:-

`1. In a honing construction for garments provided with a bone pocket, a rust-proof bone adapted for suspensionrin the pocket and comprising in combination a resilient member of r steel of suitable dimensions, waterproofing material securely applied thereto, a exble tape having one end applied against one side only of the'bone against the water-proofing material and at its other end projecting longitudinally of the bone beyond the end thereof, and a rustproof band overlying the tape and having its ends clamped around the edges of the bone and binding the tape against the bone and maintaining a frictional contact between the waterprooi-lng and the tape such that theV tape is prevented from moving longitudinally with respect to the bone when in use.

2. In a honing construction for garments, the

combination with a garment having a binding y.

along the upper edge thereof and having a bone pocket, of a tape of flexible material arranged in the upper end of the said bone pocket and extending longitudinally thereinto andv depending below the binding, stitches securing the binding to the garment and also securing said tape thereto, a smooth solid flat steel bone arranged in Vsaid pocket longitudinally thereof and freely suspended therein by said tape, said tape at its lower end lying against one side only of said bone, a band clamped around said bone and tape and securing the tape against longitudinal movement with respect to the bone, and stitching be'- tween the binding and the upper end of the bone securing the sides of the bone pockettogether, whereby said bone is freely suspended in said pocket and adequately Vsecured therein.

MOE SARACHEK. 

